He Makes My Soul His Care

Forever blessed be the Lord, My Savior and my shield

Author: Isaac Watts
Published in 119 hymnals

Printable scores: PDF, Noteworthy Composer
Audio files: MIDI

Representative Text

1 Forever blessed be the Lord,
My Savior and my shield!
He sends his Spirit with his word,
To arm me for the field.

2 When all my foes their force unite,
He makes my soul his care;
Instructs me in the heav'nly fight,
And guards me through the war.

3 A friend and helper so divine
My fainting hope shall raise:
He makes the glorious vict'ry mine,
And his shall be the praise.

Source: A Collection of Hymns and Prayers, for Public and Private Worship #134

Author: Isaac Watts

Isaac Watts was the son of a schoolmaster, and was born in Southampton, July 17, 1674. He is said to have shown remarkable precocity in childhood, beginning the study of Latin, in his fourth year, and writing respectable verses at the age of seven. At the age of sixteen, he went to London to study in the Academy of the Rev. Thomas Rowe, an Independent minister. In 1698, he became assistant minister of the Independent Church, Berry St., London. In 1702, he became pastor. In 1712, he accepted an invitation to visit Sir Thomas Abney, at his residence of Abney Park, and at Sir Thomas' pressing request, made it his home for the remainder of his life. It was a residence most favourable for his health, and for the prosecution of his literary… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Forever blessed be the Lord, My Savior and my shield
Title: He Makes My Soul His Care
Author: Isaac Watts
Meter: 8.6.8.6
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Notes

For ever blessed be the Lord. J. Watts. [Psalms cxliv.] In his Psalms of David, 1719, this version in 3 stanzas of 4 lines forms the first of three CM. hymns on Psalms cxliv., and is accompanied with the following note:—

"The sense of a great part of this Psalm is found often repeated in the Book of Psalms. I have therefore only taken three small parts of it, and form'd three distinct hymns on very different subjects."

Although frequently found in the older collections its modern use is limited.

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Tune

REYNOLDS (McGraw)


SONG 67

SONG 67 was published as a setting for Psalm 1 in Edmund Prys's Welsh Llyfr y Psalmau (1621). Erik Routley (PHH 31) suggests that the tune should be ascribed to Prys. Orlando Gibbons (PHH 167) supplied a new bass line for the melody when it was published with a number of his own tunes in George With…

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[Forever blessed be the Lord] (13214)


Timeline

Media

The Cyber Hymnal #10024
  • PDF (PDF)
  • Noteworthy Composer Score (NWC)

Instances

Instances (1 - 2 of 2)
TextScoreAudio

The Cyber Hymnal #10024

The Sacred Harp #225a

Include 117 pre-1979 instances
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